NBC's Chuck Todd On Chopping Block After 'Meet The Press' Ratings Plummet, Female Replacement Already In Works
CNN isn't the only network shaking things up. RadarOnline.com told you first: NBC's longtime anchor Chuck Todd is on the brink of being fired after his show, Meet The Press' ratings continue to tank — and they've already secured a backup to replace him if they decide to ax him from the Sunday program.
David Gelles, the new producer at Meet the Press, who hails from CNN, is holding Todd's future in his hands. Gelles' “first order of business" is to decide whether to retain the 50-year-old journalist.
Despite recently signing a two-year contract extension with NBC, RadarOnline.com has discovered that Todd could face his demise at the network.
Staffers at the network are "baffled" over "how long he’s remained atop the struggling show," according to a well-placed insider. As RadarOnline.com already reported, Todd's show recorded its lowest-rated quarter over the April-May-June period.
Todd peaked at more than 4 million viewers in the first quarter of 2017 (January-February-March) in the midst of Donald Trump’s presidency. But, the magic number faded to a paltry 2.4 million — shaving off a third of the notoriously goateed anchor’s audience.
“At what point does anyone have the balls to say ‘Maybe the problem is the face of it’?" a source told the Daily Beast.
NBC White House correspondent Kristen Welker is “being groomed to replace Todd” if he's fired from his position. The possible host change comes months after NBC downsized Todd’s role, changing Meet The Press Daily to a digital format only.
Todd's public appeal has also taken a nosedive, with him becoming the butt of Trevor Noah's jokes at the White House Correspondence Dinner.
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It doesn't help that he's built a diva-like reputation around the office.
“Chuck can be very difficult — he’s very opinionated — and that has strained some of the relationships internally,” an insider stated earlier this year.
NBC released a statement, citing Todd's former executive producer, John Reiss, who was reassigned to the network's streaming service following the ratings slump.
"After being the EP of the Sunday broadcast for eight years, at the end of his contract, John Reiss was looking for a different opportunity within the MTP franchise,” a NBC News spokesperson said in a statement to the Daily Beast.
They also insisted that Welker and Todd are already collaborators.
“Kristen Welker is the co-host of Meet the Press NOW on NBC News NOW and has been since the show launched. And she and Chuck have been leading NBC News NOW’s election specials all year long,” the statement continued.
Todd took over as anchor on Meet The Press in 2014. The program is NBC's longest-running show on the network.
RadarOnline.com has reached out to Todd's rep for comment.
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